What people are saying about the shaky state of the Seahawks

November 5, 2013 9:37 PM

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What people are saying about the shaky state of the Seahawks
The Seahawks pulled off yet another wild victory Sunday at CenturyLink Field, rallying from a 21-point deficit to force overtime and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24 on a Steven Hauschka field goal. While the Hawks are 8-1, have the best record in the NFC and still lead their division, the team's recent struggles have caused many football followers to wonder whether Seattle truly is a Super Bowl contender.
After subpar performances against the Titans and Rams, the ugly Bucs victory all but confirmed the Seahawks have been slumping in the heart of the season. But they have also been winning. What does the wide world of sports think of Seattle's headline-grabbing football team? Click through the gallery for a selection of what people are saying this week. less

What people are saying about the shaky state of the Seahawks The Seahawks pulled off yet another wild victory Sunday at CenturyLink Field, rallying from a 21-point deficit to force overtime and beat the Tampa ... more

Photo: Steve Dykes, Getty Images

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SportspressNW's Art Thiel
SportspressNW chief and former Seattle P-I columnist Art Thiel was one of many people calling out the Seahawks for not utilizing Marshawn Lynch perhaps as much as they should have, though thanks to overtime Beast Mode -- who felt sick for much of the contest -- did end up with 125 rushing yards for his best game of the season. "For two weeks in a row, the Seahawks escaped defeat to heavy underdogs only by late heroics," Thiel wrote. "And now, they are at risk of defeat if Lynch perhaps overdoses on Skittles. Even if the opponents are supposedly softer, the margins can't get much thinner." less

SportspressNW's Art Thiel SportspressNW chief and former Seattle P-I columnist Art Thiel was one of many people calling out the Seahawks for not utilizing Marshawn Lynch perhaps as much as they should have, ... more

NFL Network
On the NFL Network, the crew of "NFL Total Access" wondered whether the Seahawks have been exposed. Was Seattle's performance against Tampa Bay, especially following the narrow Rams victory, a big deal or not? "'Almost' only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and bocce ball," TV host and former NFLer Warren Sapp said on the show. "Sometimes when Mickey Mouse comes to town, you play like Mickey Mouse. No big deal for me." less

NFL Network On the NFL Network, the crew of "NFL Total Access" wondered whether the Seahawks have been exposed. Was Seattle's performance against Tampa Bay, especially following the narrow Rams victory, a big ... more

The Seattle Times' Jerry Brewer
It's time for the inconsistency to end, wrote Seattle Times columnist Jerry Brewer. His thesis? The Seahawks have become complacent. "This was a sleepwalking, superior team getting slapped upside the head by an inferior foe, then waking up and winning once their attentiveness matched their talent," Brewer wrote. "This wasn't even about the Seahawks not being able to live up to excessive hype. This was about them wrestling with overconfidence and disinterest." less

ESPN's Mike Sando
Former Seahawks reporter Mike Sando, who now covers the whole league for ESPN, appeared on 710 ESPN Seattle radio to tell hosts Brock Huard and Danny O'Neil what he saw in Sunday's Seahawks victory. "My No. 1 thought was that Russell Wilson will not be available for the team much longer if he takes hits like that," Sando said, noting that Wilson took big hits to his knee and his non-throwing arm. "The amazing thing is that he fires right back and goes down the field. I mean, he is assassin-like." less

ESPN's Mike Sando Former Seahawks reporter Mike Sando, who now covers the whole league for ESPN, appeared on 710 ESPN Seattle radio to tell hosts Brock Huard and Danny O'Neil what he saw in Sunday's Seahawks ... more

Pro Football Focus
In his weekly analysis for Pro Football Focus, Ben Stockwell wrote that it seemed inevitable the Seahawks would end up winning Sunday, but they need to start stronger against better opponents. "A game that for so long looked like an advert for parity in the NFL instead ended up as an advert for why good teams win and bad teams lose," Stockwell wrote. "This is why we love the NFL." less

Pro Football Focus In his weekly analysis for Pro Football Focus, Ben Stockwell wrote that it seemed inevitable the Seahawks would end up winning Sunday, but they need to start stronger against better ... more

Photo: Screenshot, ProFootballFocus.com

Pro Football Focus
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SI's Emerald City Swagger
On Emerald City Swagger, a blog affiliated with Sports Illustrated, writer Rob Shumate approached Sunday's game from a fan's perspective. "If you were able to see into the future and see this team going into Week 10 with an 8-1 record and 1.5-game lead over the nearest NFC opponent," he wrote, "I would have gladly taken you up on that scenario. Now that that situation has come to fruition I have two statements: 1) The Seahawks may be the most challenged 8-1 team ever based on recent trends. 2) Does anybody have contact information for a good cardiologist? My heart can't take another week like the last two." less

SI's Emerald City Swagger
On Emerald City Swagger, a blog... Photo-5422723.73492 - seattlepi.com

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SB Nation's Field Gulls
On SBNation's Field Gulls blog about the Seahawks, writer Mookie Alexander displayed his analysis of Seattle's games during the Pete Carroll era and found that the Hawks have mostly struggled in the second quarter -- as they did Sunday when they gave up 21 points to the Bucs. "With the exception of 2011, the Seahawks have given up most of their points in the 2nd quarter, and they've allowed over half of their points this year in the 2nd," Alexander wrote. "To look on the plus side, these numbers absolutely back up the already obvious statement that the Seahawks play much better football in the 2nd half." less

ESPN's SportsNation
On its SportsNation program, ESPN asked viewers what they make of the Seahawks now that Seattle has won a whole five games by a touchdown or less. The majority of respondents to the unscientific poll thought the Hawks are "not as good as their record." Oh, and take a look at which states (in red) thought the Seahawks are just "clutch." less

ESPN's SportsNation On its SportsNation program, ESPN asked viewers what they make of the Seahawks now that Seattle has won a whole five games by a touchdown or less. The majority of respondents to the ... more

Reddit.com/r/Seahawks
The Seahawks subreddit of Reddit is always a great place to find both thoughtful discussion and hilarious (and often off-color) commentary. In a thread Tuesday titled, "Am I the only one around here who thinks that the Seahawks haven't hit their stride, but that they will soon?" things began with a cordial conversation between Seahawks fans and 49ers fans. "We expected you guys to win these two games," Niners fan "ChasingBridges" wrote, but not close ones "against 'bad-year' teams. Maybe the Hawks finally will hit their stride when they have their O-line intact." less

Reddit.com/r/Seahawks The Seahawks subreddit of Reddit is always a great place to find both thoughtful discussion and hilarious (and often off-color) commentary. In a thread Tuesday titled, "Am I the only one ... more